Biden administration in talks to expand AUKUS defence technology pact
Australia could soon have access to advanced military technology, with the Biden administration revealing talks are underway to expand the AUKUS pact.
National
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The Biden administration is in talks to expand the AUKUS pact beyond Australia, the US and the UK, as long as other partners can contribute their own advanced military equipment.
Admiral Michael Gilday, the US Navy’s chief of operations, says it is time to “hit the accelerator” on the pact’s “limitless” ambition to share technology including hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare systems.
But he said it was up to the US government to capitalise on the “huge potential” to share defence capabilities between current and future AUKUS partners, warning that the American Department of Defense was “sometimes very slow” in putting new technology in the field.
President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell on Tuesday revealed “substantial discussions” were underway to expand AUKUS, even beyond countries that had publicly expressed interest in joining including South Korea, New Zealand and France.
New countries would be able to enter pillar two of the pact – rather than the nuclear-powered submarine program – if they offered “practical and operational” military advancements.
“All three countries have made clear that under the appropriate circumstances, we would be prepared to work collaboratively with other partners,” Dr Campbell said.
“I do believe that there are going to be some areas where some allies and partners have some either direct or niche areas where they can assist in the larger endeavour.”
“The key question is going to be: what do you bring to the table?”
The pair spoke at an AUKUS forum in Washington DC hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where Admiral Gilday acknowledged the US Navy was still falling short of its target to produce two Virginia-class submarines every year.
Under the agreement, the US will sell at least three of the nuclear-powered boats to Australia in the 2030s.
Admiral Gilday said it was too early to say whether they would be new or used vessels, but that the Navy was “headed in the right direction” to meet its production target and provide options for a future US administration on the sale to Australia.
“We do not underestimate the difficulties that lie ahead,” he said, in what he described as a “forever endeavour” between the three countries.
Dr Campbell said the submarine program was “ready for lift-off” as he welcomed Australia’s “unprecedented commitment” to bolster the US industrial base, which he said also needed to put a “troublingly large” number of submarines requiring maintenance back into service.
The senior figures said Mr Biden’s personal commitment to AUKUS would break through barriers posed by US export controls that could otherwise hamper the pact, with Admiral Gilday arguing the “zero trust” security framework would “definitely mitigate or drive down risk” for sharing classified technology.
Dr Campbell added that the US needed to lift its efforts to ensure other countries understood and accepted AUKUS, although he said many “understand the rationale” and were “frankly impressed that we did it”.
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Originally published as Biden administration in talks to expand AUKUS defence technology pact
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